? If I am hepatitis C positive can I commence medical studies?
January 2005
GMC guidelines can allow for hepatitis C infected students to commence training at medical school, as the view of the GMC is that students with a wide range of disabilities or health conditions can achieve the prescribed standards of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour.
New guidelines, issued by the Council of Heads of Medical Schools in November 2004, for the admission of students to medical schools state:
"Freedom for infection with blood-borne viruses is not an absolute requirement for those wishing to train as doctors, although an applicant who is a carriermust recognise that some areas, especially surgical specialties, will not be available as career choices. The nature of the medical course means that students found to be infectious carriers of the blood-borne viruses on entry to medical school will need to comply with occpuational health supervision and guidance for the responsible Head of Course to ensure they do not perform exposure-prone procedures."
Early clinical experience in the new medical curriculum means that, as of 2005, students will be tested for blood borne viruses (BBVs) as soon as possible after admission to medical school. This requirement is for the protection of patients and also ensures that any students unknowingly carrying BBVs are detected, appropriately treated and counselled at the earliest opportunity. Students who are found to be infected by a BBV will be allowed to continue on their medical course leading to full medical registration provided that they formally accept the requirement they will not be allowed to eprform exposure prone procedures while infectious, and that careers in some specialties may not be open to them.